On May 26, 2012 (April 6 of the 2012 lunar calendar), mankind's first commercial spacecraft docked with the International Space Station. Astronauts on the International Space Station operated a 17.7-meter-long robotic arm to prepare to "capture" the spacecraft, achieving the historic successful rendezvous of the United States 'first privately owned spacecraft with the International Space Station. On May 25, 2012, the "Dragon" spacecraft launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation of the United States successfully docked with the International Space Station on the 25th, making it the first commercial spacecraft in history to visit the space station. Information provided by NASA shows that at 12:02 EST (00:02 Beijing time on the 26th), the Dragon spacecraft was safely fixed on the Harmony node module of the space station. More than two hours before docking, space station astronauts Donald Petty and Andrea Keppers used a Canadian robotic arm that was about 17.7 meters long to complete the "capture" operation of the Dragon spacecraft. At the time, the spacecraft and space station were operating over Australia, about 400 kilometers above the earth. "'Dragon 'has been connected to the International Space Station! History has been created!" California-based Space Exploration Technologies said via its "Twitter" account after docking. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said U.S. private companies have demonstrated the ability to supply the space station, opening up new areas of space commerce and creating new jobs for the United States. John Holdron, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, believes that successful docking is an achievement of great scientific and technological significance and a milestone in President Obama's plan to maintain U.S. leadership in the space field. The "Dragon" spacecraft is about 6.1 meters high and about 3.7 meters in diameter. It was launched into space on the 22nd carrying more than 500 kilograms of cargo. According to the plan, the space station astronauts will open the docking hatch on the 26th to unload goods. The "Dragon" spacecraft will dock with the space station for about a week, and then return to Earth on the 31st carrying a payload of about 600 kilograms. It will fall into the Pacific Ocean and be recovered. After the mission is successful, Space Exploration Technologies is expected to receive a $1.6 billion contract from the space agency to launch 12 cargo spacecraft to the space station. According to the design, the Dragon can also transport astronauts after being modified. Since the space shuttle was retired last year, the United States has "relied on" Russia to transport personnel and cargo to the space station. Therefore, NASA encourages its private companies to develop a "space bus" to and from the space station, and four companies, including Space Exploration Technologies, are competing for this project. The aerospace industry's first "government-civilian docking" At 3:44 a.m. EST on the 22nd, SpaceX's "Dragon" spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, heading for the International Space Station-This is the first visit of a "private spacecraft" to the International Space Station from around the world. Regardless of whether its journey is ultimately perfect or not, it will be destined to be recorded in the history of world space. In April this year, the last active U.S. space shuttle Discovery, which completed its mission, was sent to the museum, drawing countless American space fans to sigh: The United States, which once dominated the aerospace field, can now only rely on paying high prices to fly Russian spacecraft to send astronauts and cargo into space. The birth of the "Dragon" spacecraft is undoubtedly a timely comfort to the sad American people. But the more important significance lies in the docking of the Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station. This is the first time that a private spacecraft has docked with the officially operated International Space Station. According to reports, although the "Dragon" spacecraft is designed to have automatic docking capabilities, it does not conduct automatic docking with the space station in the strict sense during this mission. Instead, when it approaches the space station, the astronauts in the space station use a robotic arm to fix it., then pull it towards the "Harmony" docking port. The Dragon spacecraft plans to connect with the space station for a week. On May 31, the "Dragon" spacecraft that completed the cargo mission will carry completed test projects and other equipment, leave the International Space Station and return home, and eventually fall into the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles off the coast of Southern California, where it will be salvaged and recovered by a recycling ship. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying out the launch mission is 48 meters long and equipped with nine "Greyback Falcon" rocket engines. The Dragon spacecraft at the top of the rocket is 4.4 meters long and 3.7 meters in diameter. It carries 460 kilograms of cargo, including 306 kilograms of food and other supplies, as well as scientific experiments designed by American students and a laptop computer.